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The South Pacific Forum is the political grouping of independent and selfgoverning States in the South Pacific. Its Secretariat, known as the South Pacific Forum Secretariat, has its headquarters in Suva, the capital of Fiji. Its sphere of political influence covers some 30 million square kilometres, stretching from the Republic of the Marshall Islands north of the Equator and to New Zealand in the south.
The South Pacific Forum began with a meeting in Wellington, New Zealand in 1971 when its seven founding members Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Tonga and Westen Samoa - met for the first time.
These member countries have since been joined by Niue, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.
This Grouping stemmed from a common desire by leaders to develop a collective response on a wide range of regional issues including trade, economic development, civil aviation and maritime, telecommunications, energy and political and security matters. In recent years, environmental issues have featured strongly in the annual summit of the Heads of Government.
Forum membership is open to only fully independent or self-governing [Pacific Island] countries [plus Australia & New Zealand], and the current membership stands at 15.
The Forum, chaired on a rotating basis by the Head of the host Government, is unique. Unlike similar international or regional organisations, there are no set rules governing the conduct of the Forum sessions - consensus and informality are the order of the day. No votes are taken on any issues even if there are disagreements. This unique feature rules out the possibility of leaders making conflicting statements on the Forum's stand on issues of common interests and concern to the region. This, however, does not prevent Prime Ministers expressing views on matters outside the Forum consensus.
The South Pacific Forum has recorded some outstanding successes since its inception in 1971. The list below is by no means exhaustive, but gives an indication of achievement through regional co-operation.
Ten Member Governments of the South Pacific Forum took a significant step in 1977 in establishing this regional shipping venture as a means of providing adequate and reliable shipping services, thereby encouraging economic development in the region.
The PFL's main objective is to provide a viable shipping service to meet the special conditions of the region.
The PFL commenced trading in 1978 with three chartered conventional vessels. Now owned by 12 South Pacific Forum Governments, PFL operates three modern containerised vessels including two purpose-built roll-on, roll-offships.
Forum Countries' Transport Ministers meet each year to discuss the broad objectives of the line while PFL's board of directors and management are responsible for policy and day-to-day operations.
In 1979, the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) was established under a Convention signed by 12 Forum Members. The Convention reflects the common concern of member nations on matters of conservation, optimum use and coastal states' sovereign rights over the region's living marine resources.
FFA has its headquarters in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Its governing body is the Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC) which decides the FFA's annual budget and work programmes. The FFC also is responsible for the appointment of the FFA Director. After two years of negotiations, a multilateral Treaty on Fisheries with the United States was concluded and signed in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on 02 April 1987. This treaty was renewed in 1993.
Administered by the South Pacific Forum Secretariat through the Committee on Regional Economic Issues and Trade (CREIT), the South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement aims, among other things, at enhancing the export capabilities of Forum Island Countries (FICs).
It guarantees duty-free and unrestricted access on a non-reciprocal basis for a wide range of FICs' products into the Australian and New Zealand markets.
SPARTECA was signed by Forum Heads of Governments at their 1980 summit in Tarawa, Kiribati.
Since it came into operation in 1981, exports from FICs to Australia and New Zealand have increased in several areas including timber and coconut products, canned fish and clothing - items which previously were subject to customs duty and/or import licensing.
The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (SPNFZ), also known as the Treaty of Rarotonga is the manifestation of the South Pacific Forum's persistent stand against nuclear testing and the dumping of radioactive waste at sea within the region.
It represents firm support for the nuclear non proliferation regime exemplified by the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty. The SPNFZ was adopted in the Cook Islands' capital, Rarotonga (hence, the Treaty Of Rarotonga) on 6 August 1985 and entered into force on 11 December 1986.
As of August 1993, eleven Forum Members were party to the Treaty. The former USSR and the People's Republic of China have both signed and ratified Protocols 2 & 3 of the Treaty. Under Protocols 2 & 3, nuclear weapons states agree not to use or threaten to use nuclear explosive devices against any party to the Treaty, or territory in the zone for which a state party to Protocol 1 is responsible. They also understake not to test nuclear explosive devices in the zone.
The USSR signed the Protocols on 15 December 1987 and ratified them on 21 April 1988. The People's Republic of China signed on 10 February 1987 and ratified them on 21 October 1988.
Assurances have been received from the United States and the United Kingdom that they are not acting inconsistently with the terms of the Treaty and its Protocols.
Considerable attention has been devoted to the issue of decolonisation in New Caledonia since it surfaced on the Forum's agenda in 1981. Two years later, the 1983 Forum in Canberra called for a precise timetable for independence and asked the French Government to consider inviting a Forum Mission to New Caledonia to observe and assess progress towards decolonisation.
Backed by the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Forum succeeded in the reinscription of New Caledonia on the UN List of Non-Self-Governing Territories in December 1986.
With the signing by the parties involved in New Caledonia of the Matignon and Oudinot Accords in 1988, which will lead to a referendum on independence in 1998, the South Pacific Forum has offered strong support for the process of economic and political development in the territory under the Accords. The Forum has established a Ministerial Committee to follow developments.
This method of fishing, sometimes referred to as the Wall of Death, is no longer in use in the South Pacific largely because of regional efforts spearheaded by the South Pacific Forum.
Following the discovery of large-scale driftnetr operations in the region, the 1989 South Pacific Forum in Kiribati issued what is known as the Tarawa Declaration which called for the cessation of driftnet fishing in the South Pacific as a first step towards ending the practice globally.
On November 24 of that year, the Convention for the Prohibition of Fishing with Long Driftnets in the South Pacific was adopted in Wellington. Among other things, the Wellington Convention commits its signatories to prohibit driftnet activities in their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
In 1991, the United Nations passed a strong resolution to halt driftnet fishing by the end of the following year. South Korea ceased its activities in l989, Japan in 1990 and Taiwan in 1991.
This achievement is an important example of the South Pacific Forum's response to developments affecting regional economic security and the conservation of its members' vital marine environment.
A gathering that has added new dimension to the annual South Pacific Forum is the post-Forum Dialogue Partners' meeting which takes place immediately after the Forum itself. It began during the 20th Forum in Kiribati in 1989.
Seven non-Forum countries and entities with longstanding interests in the region - Canada, the European Community (EC), France, Japan, the People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom and the United States - take part in a face-to-face dialogue with Ministers from Forum Island Countries (FICs).
By inviting them to the Leaders' Annual Summit, the Forum is signalling the importance and value it attaches to the Dialogue Partners' continuing commitment to the wellbeing of regional concern.
This Treaty was developed by the Honiara-based Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) in recognition of the need to protect the important fisheries resources of the South Pacific.
Concluded in Niue, the Treaty establishes a framework for reciprocal and joint surveillance and enforcement in the region. Fourteen Forum Countries have signed while four have ratified since the Niue Treaty was opened for signature at the 23rd Forum in Honiara in 1992.
Climate Change and the threat of sea level rise due to global warming are major concerns to the Forum because low-lying atolls in the region are home to many of its members. Any change at all could spell disaster for the region.
Forum Island Countries and organisations such as the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), based in Apia, Western Samoa, have played a prominent role in international negotiations for a framework convention on climate change. This was achieved at the UNCED Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 under the aegis of the Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS) which secured the recognition by industrialised countries of the region's special vulnerability.
Forum Countries such as Nauru and Tuvalu were among the first to sign the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The South Pacifc Forum's involvement in environmental issues goes back over a decade. It was one of four co-sponsors of the initial proposal to establish the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) which was established in 1982.
Forum Leaders adopted the Declaration at the 23rd Forum in Honiara in 1992 in recognition of the threats posed to the stability of the region by increased criminal activity. The Declaration was developed by the Forum Regional Security Committee (FRSC) which was established a year earlier to consider inter alia a regional approach to transnational crime in the South Pacific.
It provides for a regional law enforcement network and sets out initial priorities in areas such as drugs, training and the development of legislative frameworks.
Through the South Pacific Forum Secretariat, the Forum maintains close links with the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Tourism Council of the South Pacific (TCSP). Both organisation are based in Suva, Fiji.
Close links are also maintained with other regional organisations through the South Pacific Organisations Coordinating Committee (SPOCC) process, with the South Pacific Forum Secreatriat maintaining a co-ordinating role. The Committee was formed in 1988 to work towards eliminating duplication in regional programmes. These organisations are Suva-based South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), the Honolulu-based Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP), the South Pacific Commission (SPC) based in Noumea, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) based in Apia, [Western Samoa] the Honiara-based Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), [in the Solomon Islands].
Copyright © Forum Secretariat 1994